TRN TA1

Ta1

bright detail not harsh or fatiguing

Energetic W shape sound with mid focus

Excellent lows, fun bass

Nice punch and above avgerage low end but

sub bass roll off slightly at around 40hz

Very clean and clear mids

Great ba treble , extension and sparkle

Vocals are good

Efficient , doesn’t need amp but scales well with one. Bass hits harder with amp and soundstage opens up

Best paired with warm source or clean neutral power not cold

Great stock cable

Plenty of details

Good soundstage and imaging

Excellent for price , one of best low cost hybrids available. My new favorite low cost hybrid

Great for edm , fun to listen to. Works well with most genres

Beautiful shell and build quality, good fit

Real knowles ba for 30$

Overall fun sound



Bass rolls off towards sub bass, could use more sub bass

Sight coherency issue at times

Rare congestion issue

Rare sibilance like once a blue moon

These cons are all tip and fit dependent, the deeper insertion and fit the more these were non existant.

first of all i would like to thank HiFiGo for providing me with this IEM
disclaimer : this item is provided from HiFiGo for me to review but this whole review is entirely my opinion and not altered in any way at all.

shipping :
would be great if shipping have more protection (bubble wrap) and use another express expedition if possible in the future

the IEM :
superb build quality, no driver flex at all, comfortable for my ears even with provided generic eartips, the cable somehow looked like one comes with the iBasso AM05 but the TA1 cable is only 3.5mm

for the tonality and technical review of this IEM, i use Final Type E black eartips, stock cable, and Astel n Kern PEE51 Dongle DAC.
TONALITY :

"w shaped" tuning

BASS :
a bit bassy (focusing on mid bass and upper bass) but surely not a bass canon model, bass is punchy, speedy enough for metal genre use. IMO, somehow the bass is making you crave more rumble around the sub-bass area.

MIDS :
kinda forward mids, intimate vocal representation, very good with jpop genre music and anime ost
if i have to nitpick the midrange area, the vocal is somehow sounding a bit "nassaly" like just a little bit (and again im comparing the vocal with my daily driver HD600 so its kinda not fair)

TREBLE :
a bit smooth treble but still airy enough to not making the sound dull, the treble is sparkly without sounding metalic thanks to the knowles driver use on this iem

TECHNICAL :

Detail Retrieval:
it can show some detail but not many micro detail like say more premium and expensive model, but for the price bracket around $50 is decent.

Soundstage :
not the largest soundstage ive heard but have symmetrical width and depth also works great for gaming (FPS)

Imaging :
seems OK, not the most "holographical" imaging but
still decent especially this thing only cost around $38

Positioning and Separation :

for music : decent, not the most razor sharp pinpoint positioning and separation but you can still hear which instrument is playing or which vocalist is singing
for gaming : works well for FPS gaming, i can hear which way the footsteps come from without any problem and the bass is NOT overpowering or covering the footsteps

Timbre :
seems decent enough, pretty usable for me, the balanced armature not sounding metalic at all but not the most organic sounding ive ever heard

Coherent :
the dynamic driver and balanced armature is coherent enough to be usable for my ears, especially if i have to compare it with another model, its not as bad like kz hybrid (zsx / zs10pro)

*my only cons is a bit stretched and nitpicking since this is clearly a budget model, but a bit more detail retrieval and larger soundstage, and a bit deeper sub-bass would be nice to hear

overall in my opinion this is a decent model for someone who likes a bit more bass, having a forward intimate midrange and smooth treble.
just in case youre interested, you can get this item here : TRN TA1 on HiFiGo

would give this a 4.5 stars since the iem is exceptionally well built and fun sounding without getting too bassy or too sharp on the treble.

you can also find this review in Indonesian on YouTube : littlenezt near the future since im still recovering from covid.

After being utterly surprised with how good the TRN MT1 was for $8usd, I have decided to try out more IEM offerings from TRN. After a (not so long) search, I found the TRN TA1…

TRN TA1 is a 2-driver hybrid IEM with 1DD for bass + 1 Knowles BA driver for its mids and highs. It retails for $29usd and its box comes with 3 different types of tips(white silicon, black silicon, and foam), an MMCX 3.5mm cable, and the IEM itself.

I will be using Final E tips for this review as I find the stock tips to be slightly too sibilant and harsh for my liking. YMMV.

With that out of the way, let's start the review.

*Disclaimer: This review is done using Final E tips and stock cables.

PROS

:​

• The tuning here is vocal and treble-focused. I would describe the sounds signature here as bright W-shaped.
• The bass here is punchy, thick, and has a bit of sub-bass rumble, nothing overwhelming. It is more on the conservative side of things, with its bass never overwhelming or overtaking any of the other frequencies. It is mostly placed slightly behind the vocals and treble. No bass bleed into the mids.
• The midrange here is very vocal-focused. Vocals will always be placed in front of the mix. The midrange here is more upper midrange focused, with crystal clear and crisp vocal presentation that is emphasized and pushed forward. Vocals, especially female vocals, SHINE with the TA1. I would describe the vocals here as detailed, clear, crisp, forward, and intimate. You could pick up on tiny nuances and details from the singer's voice that you might not have picked up before in the past. Vocals presentation is seriously crispy and clear here. In return, however, you are sometimes presented with harshness and sibilance.
• Timbre here is good for a BA. Nothing to complain about.
• Treble here is bright, airy, and detailed. Sometimes you do get sibilance and harshness, but at the most part, it is pretty enjoyable and unfatiguing, with its airy presentation and detailed highs. I find the treble here really well-executed, especially in this price range.
• The soundstage is average. I would describe the soundstage here as like being in a small bedroom. It isn't the widest or deepest, but it has enough to not sound congested.
• Image separation is great thanks to its Knowles BA driver. Nothing sounds "glued" together or congested. Instruments and vocals are well separated and spread out within the stage that they are given.
• Imaging is average too. You can tell where the instruments are coming from, but you can't pinpoint exactly where. For the price, it is good enough.
• Great build quality and shell design. Shell design resembles that of the legendary IEM-Z1R, and it is built like one too. The shell of the TA1 is solid and oozes confidence. Great as a daily beater as I would not worry about them breaking.
• Fit and comfort are great too.
• These are also very easy to drive.

CONS

:​

• Not the most coherent.
• Stock cable and tips aren't the best.
• Slight sibilance and harshness (with stock tips).
• Average soundstage and imaging.
• The bass here is slightly anemic. It has the quantity and sub-bass, but it lacks texture and slam. It might distort with certain frequencies too.
• Imaging is average. Hard to pinpoint exactly where each instrument is coming from, especially with its smaller soundstage.

IN CONCLUSION:​

I think TRN TA1 is a great option for vocal lovers and treble heads. Its vocal performance is exceptional and pretty unique for the price. Pair that with its detailed treble presentation and you get a $29usd IEM that sounds amazing (albeit not out of the box as tip-rolling to Final E is necessary IMO).

If you are looking to pick up the TRN TA1, I highly recommend picking up Final E tips and TRN T1 8-core Gold SPC cable. These 2 pair really well with TA1 and I can't recommend them enough.

Looking to upgrade from the MT1? The TRN TA1 might be it.